Chlöe Bailey ‘Cried’ When She Heard Sister Halle Sing ‘Part of Your World’
Chlöe Bailey says she was moved to tears by her sister Halle’s journey in the upcoming The Little Mermaid remake.
Bailey, who was by her younger sister’s side as she auditioned for the film, reveals she got a little emotional during the audition process and says she can’t wait for audiences to see the final product.
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“I went with my sister to the screen test before she officially got the role and seeing her perform ‘Part of Your World’ with just a piano, I cried,” Bailey tells Rolling Stone. “In that moment as her big sister, I knew that she would inspire so many boys and girls around the world to know that you can be whatever you want to be no matter what you look like,” she says. “That is what made me the most emotional, because it was something that I’ve always seen in [Halle] since we were little girls doing music together. The world’s going to be able to see it on such a huge platform and she’s going to make boys and girls all over the world feel more confident within themselves.”
Bailey’s celebration of her sister comes on the heels of a celebratory moment for herself, as the 24-year-old joins an elite group of performers as the latest Pepsi spokesperson. In true Pepsi pop culture fashion Bailey’s new campaign launches with a Footloose-themed commercial.
For the return of Pepsi-Cola Soda Shop, a modern take on classic soda shop flavors likeCream Soda, Black Cherry, and the new limited-edition Zero Sugar Cream Soda Cola, Bailey performs a new rendition of the hit Kenny Loggins theme song from the 1994 film.
“I am over the moon overjoyed to collaborate with Pepsi and celebrate the return of the Pepsi-Cola Soda Shop,” Bailey says. “It’s been so much fun to modernize the take on the classic cola experience.”
The same could be said of the commercial itself. The clip, directed by Hannah Lux Davis, sees Bailey making like Kevin Bacon and ignoring a “no dancing” policy in—where else—a soda shop, where she cracks open one of Pepsi’s new flavors and performs her take on the film’s titular song. Dripping with the sultry R&B vibe for which Bailey is known, there’s no question that this is not your daddy’s “Footloose.”
“I was so excited to have full creative control and remake ‘Footloose’ with my own twist on it and to create a really fun music video,” the singer says.
With the ad, Bailey joins an iconic lineup of artists tapped to create equally iconic visuals for the soda company. From Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Ray Charles to Britney Spears, Pink, and Beyonce, Pepsi has a long history of musical mashups and Bailey is poised to become the spokeswoman of a new generation. Bailey follows Doja Cat, who put her spin on Grease’s “You’re the One That I Want” for a Pepsi Soda Shop campaign last year.
“It definitely was a thrilling pinch-me moment, especially so early in my solo career,” Bailey says, of adding her name to the list of Pepsi ambassadors.
Pepsi Cola Soda Shop Variety Pack
While the singer is fan of Footloose (“I love musicals,” she gushes), she was most excited to interpret the nearly-40-year-old movie’s themes of oppression and censorship for a modern world.
“I definitely relate to it because when everyone’s telling you to suppress yourself and you’re doing too much and to take it down… With this, I got to put all of my frustration in there and kind of be like, ‘You know what? I’m gonna do me and put it into this story and into this song,'” she says. “Being a black woman, to be able to put my own spin on it and have my little blue suit moment was so much fun. The song was the perfect choice.”
That moment comes with a lot of dancing—choreographed by Sean Bankhead. After performing on top of the soda shop counter, Bailey and her fellow cola-loving customers make their way to a barn for a good old fashioned dance party. Rocking that Pepsi blue suit (a catsuit, no less), Bailey leads the group in a genre-blending line dance that ends with the singer striking a familiar pose as she sips her Pepsi before smiling for the camera, looking every bit the star she is.
The song is such a perfect dance track that Pepsi is using it to encourage fans to cut loose and choreograph their own performances. From October 7 through October 16, consumers are encouraged to follow @Pepsi on TikTok and Instagram and share their best dance moves using the reimagined “Footloose” track along with hashtags #PepsiSodaShop and #PepsiSweepstakes. Participants will have a chance to win autographed items, including signed posters and the signed dancing shoes that Bailey wore on the set of the music video, along with other prizes.
“I’m so happy to see people get inspired to move and truly get footloose,” says Bailey. “I love expressing myself through movement. Just as much as we sing and we act, you can use your body to get the same messaging across. I love how, depending on the mood, your body will go with that expression.”
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